I will begin this post by stating that my interview process for being selected as a Security Forces Officer with the Idaho Air National Guard (IDANG) is probably going to be vastly—if not 100% different—than any other officer selection procedure I've ever seen. So be advised... most other individuals selected for commission will most likely not experience these same things!
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It all started off when I was a new Airman First Class (A1C) and had recently returned from Personnel Tech School. I knew that I wanted to commission and become an officer, so I was waiting for job openings so I could apply. The way it works in the IDANG is that there has to be an open officer position that you qualify for before you can put in to apply for it. And then, after you apply, you typically interview among 5-20 of your ANG colleagues and, of course—may the best candidate win!
In May, 2015, my chance came. I saw an announcement for an open officer position within the Security Forces Squadron (SFS). I was immediately interested, though a few people were quick to throw out hesitation because being a "cop" was so unlike me in almost every way. But to me, that didn't matter. I thought it sounded legit and it sounded so cool to have the chance to learn an entirely different career than what I had graduated with (B.S. in Health Promotion) and my new enlisted career of human resources. I put in my application and let the waiting game begin.
In June, 2015 I received information (a WARNO) from the SFS Commander, detailing our interview process which was to take place in August. I knew right away that this interview was going to be different than most because there were reporting instructions, a packing list, physical fitness requirements, a detailed itinerary for the first day of interviews (which was a ruck), and information for the second day (which was the formal board interview). I was stoked at the chance to be able to prove myself not only personally with the interview, but physically with the ruck. That sounded hardcore and I was all about it. It also helped that I was in the peak of my training for that year's USAF Half Marathon, so I took the challenge to prep head-on and added rucking/hiking to my training.
When August rolled around, I was ready for the interview. A little bit apprehensive of what was in store, I showed up at 0500 on the first day of interviews with my ruck loaded and all of my tactical gear on (at least, I thought I looked tactical). Our rucks were 35% of our body weight + 12 pounds of water (mine was just over 50 pounds). I completely stood out like a sore thumb... an A1C personnelist among an elite group of Security Forces non-commissioned officer (NCO) troops and gung-ho enlisted members from across the wing. There were 19 of us in all, and like I said, upon first glance I was probably at the bottom of the selection pool.
The initial interview, the ruck up Tablerock (a local Boise hiking hotspot), turned into an all-day event. We met on base to receive the Operation Order (OPORD) detailing what was to come. Then, we drove to Tablerock to prepare for the hardest interview of our lives. Immediately upon arriving at the site, we unloaded our bags and the yelling and screaming ensued. One of our troops, a former Marine, was putting us through the rigors to simulate what Officer Training School (OTS) and the Security Forces Officer Course (SFOC) were going to be like. He smoked us on the spot, having us do sprinting drills, burpees, carrying our bags from here to there, and whatever else he could to burn us out prior to the ruck. After working up a sweat for 30 minutes, we loaded up our rucks and began heading up the hill.
The hike was steep as we headed off in a group, stopping at cones about every 100m for "intel," which was found on laminated pieces of paper. Each of us were required to memorize an intel card, which contained the name, photo and biography of one of the 14 fallen defenders. We had to memorize all the information, including the entire paragraph of the fallen defender—word for word.
As we finally approached the top of the hill, the former Marine went at it again, screaming for us to drop our bags, don our weapons, and prepare to be smoked. Another 45-minutes of smoking ensued, leaving us completely exhausted and drenched in sweat. We did everything from push-ups until failure, squats, overhead presses with our rucks, drills with the weapons until muscle failure, and more burpees than I can even count. During the smoke session, there were also several SF cadre in our faces, yelling random things, pointing out where we were falling behind, and truly overwhelming each of our senses.
We were all completely spent when we finally were told to ruck back up and head down the hill. When we arrived back at the squadron, we had to stand before a panel and recite our intel cards word for word. I know I didn't repeat mine 100% accurately, but I gave it my best shot. We were dismissed and told to return the next day for the formal board interview.
I showed up in my dress blues the next morning, making sure they were lint-rolled to perfection and my lines were ironed and crisp. I went before the board and saluted our Commander, a Major, and greeted my other board members (who were all officers from around the wing, including several Senior NCO Security Forces members). My Commander always invites people from outside the unit to sit on the board, hoping to negate bias and present an unfiltered opinion of the candidate. Some of the areas represented by our board were Finance, Maintenance, Emergency Management, and Logistics. Each board member asked questions, I responded in kind to each one. Being an A1C, I didn't have a lot of experience within the military to base my answers, so I tried to come up with examples from my limited Air Force trainings and then from my civilian employment with the hospital as well. My interview lasted just about an hour, and I thanked the board for their time as I saluted and left the room. And then, the waiting began.
I hadn't heard anything at all for almost three weeks when I got a phone call from the Commander, asking me to come back in for another interview. He told me to just come straight over from work and that I didn't need to wear my uniform. I showed up in my work outfit, a shirt with our hospital's logo and some black pants and sneakers, and went in for the second round. Each member of the board was present again, and I was in a chair in front of them answering questions for close to 20 minutes. They asked some follow-up questions from my first interview, including, "How would you conduct yourself to stay humble if you got this position?" and other questions similar in nature. It made sense—it's not that often that an A1C is selected for commission against other NCO's, but I answered all the questions to the best of my ability. The last question the Commander asked me, which he almost fired my direction as soon as I'd finished an answer was, "So, do you want the job?" I looked at him, mouth open in awe and for the first time at a loss for words, and didn't even have a chance to respond before my husband walked through the door, a smile on his face from ear to ear, and the Commander handed me a bottle of Patrón and said, "CONGRATULATIONS, LT! You got the job!"
To say that I was stunned would be an understatement. I'm not normally a "speechless" kind of person, but I literally couldn't even find the words to say thank you. I was overwhelmed with joy, surprise, excitement, and pure happiness. I gave each of my board members the strongest handshake I could muster and hugged my husband like there was no tomorrow. I couldn't believe it—they had selected me for a Security Forces commission!
Just a couple days later, the following email went out to the 1,400 members of the Idaho Air National Guard,
"Please join me and my fellow Defenders in congratulating and welcoming A1C Annelise Rowe for being selected as the new 124 Security Forces Squadron Operations Officer. A1C Rowe's proven communication skills, enthusiasm for a challenge, and fitness excellence have prepared her for her new role as a leader in the always demanding, challenging, and proud 124 SFS.
Congrats A1C Annelise Rowe"
Shortly after the announcement was made, I transferred from personnel to be the Commander's Support Staff (CSS) in the Security Forces Squadron while I awaited my commission. I attended Officer Training School eight months later, and the Security Forces Officer Course seven months after that. And now, here I sit, two years after my selection for commission, as the Security Forces Operations Officer for the 124th Fighter Wing in Boise, Idaho. It's a pretty cool gig, I'll tell you that much. I love my job, wouldn't trade it for anything, and can't wait to see what the future holds!
Again, I know this description of my interview is drastically different than what most officer hopefuls & selectees will experience when commissioning, but I love the story and the process by which we were interviewed... so if anything—at least I wrote it down for myself so I could remember all the nitty gritty details. HOOAH!
